Archive for the ‘Child Custody Battle’ Category

BANGOR, Maine — Fathers and father figures are most often the perpetrators of severe physical abuse of children, including cases that result in death, according to law enforcement and child abuse authorities in Maine.

On Feb. 23, Damien Christopher Lynn became the first Maine child to die this year as the result of severe abuse. He is the 12th child under age 18 to die as the result of homicide in the state since 2005.

According to authorities, Damien Lynn suffered injuries including brain trauma, a broken arm and broken ribs.

The man police have accused of killing the boy, Edgard Anziani, was the boyfriend of Damien’s mother. He lived on and off with the mother and child for four months before the homicide, according to court records. Anziani, who is from Lawrence, Mass., was arrested by federal authorities Monday in Bladensburg, Md. He waived extradition and is expected to appear in a Bangor court next week.

Statistics maintained by the Maine Department of Public Safety show that 12 children have died as the result of homicide or manslaughter over the past five years. The numbers show that the youngest, the most vulnerable, are most at risk. Eight victims were under age 3, and most of the children died at the hands of a parent, stepparent or the partner of a parent, according to Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety. Click here to see a list of Maine homicide victims under age 18 from 2005 to present.

“We average about 24 homicides over the course of a year, and in a typical year, we usually have at least a couple that are children,” McCausland said.

The exception was in 2008, McCausland said, when five children were murdered in Maine.

“The vast majority are children who died at the hands of a young man, usually the father or the mother’s boyfriend,” he said.

Dr. Lawrence Ricci of Portland, the state’s only child abuse pediatrician and an expert often consulted by law enforcement officials and others for his 22 years of experience in the field, agrees.

“That’s certainly the case in Maine, and it’s certainly the case nationally,” Ricci said Friday in a telephone interview.

In Maine and in the United States, the perpetrators of serious physical child abuse or homicide are most likely fathers, next are nonbiological father figures such as stepfathers or mothers’ boyfriends, and then sitters, Ricci said.

Mothers are the fourth-most-likely perpetrators and “well down on the list,” he said.

The dozen children who died as the result of severe physical abuse “are just the tip of the iceberg,” Ricci said Friday. Ten times as many Maine children end up in the hospital because of severe physical abuse, and 10 times more are injured but never taken to the hospital, he said.

Common risk factors for child abuse include parents who have been victims themselves; parents who have been in the child welfare system, such as foster care; parental drug and alcohol abuse; criminal history and prior child protective history, Ricci said.

Maternal depression and socioeconomic stressors also are factors, he said.

“Those are some of the big ones,” he said, adding that poverty plays a large role in the problem.

“My colleagues around the country and I have seen almost a doubling in the last two years of significant abuse of babies, we think because of the economic downturn, both because of the economic stress it puts on families directly and because of the loss of available support services,” Ricci said.

“When you can’t provide the basic support services for families, the babies suffer,” he said, adding that the state has had difficulty providing those services.

To that end, Ricci and other child advocates in Maine are hoping that the recently launched “Period of Purple Crying” program, which now operates largely through donations and volunteers, will have an impact.

The educational campaign seeks to teach new parents that prolonged, intense crying often is normal and that parents and caregivers need to give themselves a break when the stress that results from the crying threatens to overwhelm their self-control.

A similar program introduced in upstate New York a few years ago brought about a 50 percent reduction in the number of serious injuries from shaken baby syndrome, Ricci said.

Though the “Period of Purple Crying” program has been available at hospitals in many parts of Maine for more than a year, Ricci said it is still too early to say how effective it has been.

One service that Ricci said he would like to see one day in Maine is long-term home visitation that would specifically target high-risk families. Ideally, the service would be provided until the child reaches school age before development problems from abuse and neglect have a chance to set in.

“Once they do, they are almost impossible to reverse,” he said.

Though it likely wouldn’t have saved Damien Lynn, state law requires a long list of professionals to report suspicions of child abuse and neglect or when a suspicious child death occurs.

The list includes law enforcement officials, clergy, municipal and state officials, school staff and bus drivers and bus attendants, medical and emergency medical professionals, social service workers, mental health providers, child care workers, summer camp personnel, domestic violence counselors, sexual assault counselors, film and photographic print processors, court-appointed guardians or advocates and any other person who is responsible for the care or custody of a child.

Those who are legally required to report suspicions of abuse also must make a reasonable attempt to take color photographs of any areas of trauma that are visible on a child, the law states.

To report child abuse or neglect, call the Maine Child and Family Services hot line, which is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The toll-free number is 800-452-1999, and the TTY line for the deaf and hard of hearing is 800-963-9490.

Since posting a short list of fathers who had killed their children in cases where child custody, visitation, and/or child support was an active contributing factor (just articles published in 2010), several people have asked me for a more comprehensive list.

It’s nearly impossible to come up with a truly comprehensive list. News articles provide incomplete or inaccurate information. Many articles are not readily accessible through a stardard google search. But I am providing you with the a list of the cases that I have collected over the last year or so, coupled with a few cases submitted by others. Most of these murders occurred during the past two years, but not all.If you have information about additional cases that fit the above listed criteria, please send the information to me.

Note that this list does NOT include ALL the fathers who annihilate their families in murder-suicides or kill their children under other circumstances, even when there was a history of domestic violence or child abuse. If child custody, visitation, and/or child support did not appear to play an identifiable role in the child’s death, I did not include the case on the list. If I were to include all fathers who murder their children for any reason (mental illness, carelessness, “frustration,” anger at the mother–but with no apparent or identifiable child custody, visitation, or child support issues), this list would be nearly endless. So this list is not to be taken as reflective or representational of all fathers who murder children.

I apologize in advance for any errors, either in the newspaper articles or in the transcription.

Father: ALLEN CHAMBERS
Victim(s): Mindi Chambers (17 years)
Date of Death: Assumed to have been murdered around the time she went missing in 1982.
Custodial father ALLEN CHAMBERS is now presumed to have murdered Mindi Chambers around the time she went missing. Daughter had reported sexual abuse to the authorities. Not reported as officially missing til 1995.

Father: NUSHAWN CAMPBELL
Victim(s): Son (5 years)
Date of Death: June 2009
Father with sole custody stabs son to death in failed murder-suicide. Mother had been trying to regain custody.

CALIFORNIA

Contra Costa County

Father: ERHAN KAYIK
Victim(s): Volkan Kayik (16 years)
Date of Death: July 2007
Custodial father found guilty in 2009 of strangulation death of son.

El Dorado County

Father: DAVID ELIOTT
Victim(s): Chandler Nash-Eliott (11 years)
Date of Death: Dec. 2009
Father not charged in the “suicide” of son. Father had physical custody, parents had shared custody. Father had extensive history with CPS regarding neglect, abuse, lack of supervision, etc.

Father: CAMERON BROWN
Victim(s): Lauren Sarene Key (4 years)
Date of Death: Nov. 2000
Father scheduled to go to trial for 3rd time for death of daughter. Daughter was allegedly pushed off cliff during visitation in order to avoid child support.

Father: DENNIS POTTS
Victim(s): Tori Vienneau (22 years), Dean Springtube (10 months)
Date of Death: July 2006
Father is convicted Sept. 2009 in the murders of his former girlfriend and son. Father didn’t want to take paternity test, pay child support.

Ventura County

Father: JAMES MULVANEY
Victim(s): Jason Mulvaney (12 years), Jennifer Mulvaney (7 years)
Date of Death: Sept. 2009
Father stabs to death son and daughter in murder-suicide during overnight visitation. Parents had shared custody and were still involved in divorce, custody case.

COLORADO

Arapahoe County

Father: AARON THOMPSON
Victim(s): Aarone Thompson (7 years)
Date of Death: Reported missing in Nov. 2005. Body never recovered.
Father convicted in Sept. 2009 in daughter’s murder. Father had custody, as he had abducted the children from mother in Michigan.

Jefferson County

Father: JOSEPH TRUJILLO
Victim(s): Adrian Trujillo (5 months)
Date of Death: Jan. 2010
Father charged in death of infant son. Father had physical custody while mother in military. Father alleged to have left baby alone while father went out drinking for 7 hours. Baby later found dead.

CONNECTICUT

New Haven County

Father: MORRIES D. HILL SR.
Victim(s): Morries Hill Jr. (5 months)
Date of Death: 2008
Father charged in connection with the death of son. Baby died from “severe physical abuse.” Infant died in father’s home during overnight visitation.

FLORIDA

Colllier County

Father: SAMUEL SEJOUR
Victim(s): Elijay Kye Aliazar (3 months)
Date of Death: Jan. 2009
Father had shared custody with infant’s mother. Son died of blunt force trauma to the head during visitation. Father charged w. 2nd-degree murder.

Duval County

Father: JOSI M. HALL
Victim(s): Kyla Hall (1 year)
Date of Death: 2008
Father had sole custody, and had been cleared of previous abuse allegations. Daughter died of blunt force trauma at home.

Father: MICHAEL REESE
Victim(s): Jeremiah Reese (14 years)
Date of Death: Sept. 2009
Jeremiah Reese died of “accidental overdose” at the home of his custodial father. Father had long history of abuse, neglect with CPS.

IDAHO

Ada County

Father: NICHOLAS BACON
Victim(s): Bekm Bacon (8 months)
Date of Death: Feb. 2010
Father shot to death son in murder-suicide. Parents going through divorce, but had joint custody. Infant killed during visitation with father.

Jerome County

Father: ROBERT ARAGON
Victim(s): Sage Aragon (11 years)
Date of Death: Dec. 2008
Custodial father acquitted of involuntary manslaughter in hypothermia death of daughter. Father had told to her to walk to mother’s home during blizzard.

Father: MARK RESCH
Victim(s): Hunter Resch (7 years)
Date of Death: Feb. 2010
Child shot to death in murder-suicide during court-ordered visitation. Father had history of DV, mother had filed two orders of protection.

Father: DOMINGO “ANIBAL” FERREIRA
Victim(s) Charlenni Ferreira (10 years)
Date of Death: Oct. 2009
Girl died from abuse in the home of her custodial father, stepmother. Father later (allegedly) committed suicide in jail cell.

Father: RONALD HOLCOMB
Victim(s): Brooklyn Holcomb (5 years)
Date of Death: Jan. 2007
Custodial father convicted of 2nd-degree murder in daughter’s death. Mother had lost custody the year before after applying for child support.

Once again the story of the MRA, militant (mens rights activists) complaining over a story removed from Psychology Today. They think that PAS will get into the DSM….sorry it will NEVER happen. But interestingly enough there is research that suggests that these types may have what is called….Small Penis Syndrome….I present to you…

Women are much more interested in a man’s personality and looks than the size of his penis, but men can experience real anxiety even if they are average sized, according to a research review published in the June issue of the urology journal BJU International.

Dr Kevan Wylie from the Porterbrook Clinic and Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK, reports that while men often have a better body image, genital image and sexual confidence if they have a large penis, women don’t necessarily feel that bigger is better.

He teamed up with Mr Ian Eardley from St James, Hospital in Leeds to bring together the findings of more than 50 international research projects into penile size and small penis syndrome carried out since 1942.

By drawing together the results of 12 studies that measured the penises of 11,531 men, they discovered that average erect penises ranged from 14-16cms (5.5 to 6.2 inches) in length and 12-13cm (4.7 to 5.1 inches) in girth.

Wylie and Eardley also looked at the bizarre practices used by men worldwide to enhance the size of their penis, including the Topinama of Brazil, who encourage poisonous snakes to bite their penises to enlarge them for six months!

They report that Indian Sadhus men are known to use weights to increase the length of their penis and Dayak men in Borneo pierce the glans of their penis and insert items into the holes to stimulate their partner.

Other key findings of the review include:

A survey of over 50,000 heterosexual men and women found that 66 per cent of men said their penis was average sized, 22 per cent said large and 12 per cent said small. 85 per cent of women were satisfied with their partner’s penile size, but only 55 per cent of men were satisfied.

Two studies reported that 90 per cent of women prefer a wide penis to a long one. Other studies pointed out that the issue of male attractiveness was complex, but that penile size was not the most important factor for women.

Small penis syndrome is much more common in men with normal sized penises than those with a small micropenis with a flaccid length of less than 7cm (2.7 inches).

One study found that 63 per cent of men complaining of small penises said their anxieties started with childhood comparisons and 37 per cent blamed erotic images viewed in their teenage years. None of the men studied actually had a micropenis.

Another report based on data collected by Kinsey in the 1940s reported that, on average, homosexual men had larger penises than heterosexual men. The report authors suggest that exposure to male reproductive hormones in the womb may be one explanation.

Individual research studies have also suggested that penis size is smaller in studies focussing on older men, but Wylie and Eardley found no overall differences when they collated the results of various studies.

The review also provided little evidence of racial differences, with the exception of one Korean study where the men had smaller than average-sized penises. The authors suggest this area needs further investigation.

Evidence on the effectiveness of vacuum devices, penile extenders and traction devices was found to be limited, but the authors noted that patients may experience psychological benefits from some of them.

The review also showed that the results of surgery are poorly documented and significant complications can ensue.

“It is very common for men to worry about the size of their penis and it is important that these concerns aren’t dismissed as this can heighten concerns and anxieties, says Dr Wylie.

“It is helpful to normalise the situation and provide as much accurate information as possible, as many men either lack any information or have been misinformed.

“This extensive review aims to provide clinicians with an overarching summary of the many research projects that have been carried out into penile size and small penis syndrome.”

Clinicians who are presented with a man with small penis syndrome need to consider a number of treatment approaches.

“The initial approach should be a thorough urological, psychosexual, psychological and psychiatric assessment, possibly with more than one clinician involved, say the authors.

“Conservative approaches to therapy, based on education and self-awareness, as well as short-term structured psychotherapies, are often successful.”

They authors are, however, very cautious when it comes to treating a psychological condition like small penis syndrome with gadgets or surgery.

“There is poorly documented evidence to support the use of penile extenders, and while information is starting to emerge on the success of some surgical techniques, this is not backed up by data on patients, satisfaction with such procedures, stresses Dr Wylie.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon man accused of sexually abusing his young children and sharing the photos on the Internet has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Mark Hoffman, 35, was sentenced on Monday in U.S. District Court on two counts of production of child pornography. Hoffman reached a plea deal in April.

Judge Robert E. Jones said it was one of the worst cases he had ever seen in his 47 years of practice. Back in April, the foster mother for two of the three children, Kymberlee Lake, identified herself as a physician and told the judge in a statement on behalf of the victims the abuse was “far worse than most professionals have ever seen.”

Dad PETER TUTAHERA WAITI appears to be a single father who’s perpetually drunk. His preschool age kids were found wandering around in traffic while Pops was sleeping off a bender. Police took them home, decided to leave them with dad despite his obvious inebriation (!), and alerted social workers. But before the social workers arrived, the kids had wandered off again (guess Dad still had some more zzz’s to catch). Do you really think that custodial standards are tougher for dads? Doesn’t look like it here. And not a word here on what happened to the mother. http://www.rotoruadailypost.co.nz/local/news/commander-backs-action-over-father/3906306/Commander backs action over father
Anita Moran 11th November 2009

Rotorua police are standing by their decision to leave two pre-school children in the care of their drunk father.

The children, aged 2 and 4, roamed the streets and crossed Rotorua’s busy Old Taupo Rd in peak traffic after their drunk father fell asleep.

Police found the pair playing in the West End New World carpark, took them home and alerted social workers. But before the social workers arrived, the children wandered off a second time after their father fell asleep again. The children were later found playing in a nearby church yard.

The case has sparked outrage and disbelief among Rotorua residents and national family advocates.

The father, Peter Tutahera Waiti, 32, appeared before Judge Jocelyn Munro in the Rotorua District Court last week and pleaded guilty to two charges of leaving children under the age of 14 unsupervised.

Rotorua police area commander Inspector Bruce Horne said he stood by the officers’ decision to leave the children with their father.

“In this specific situation the two officers followed standard procedures,” he said.

“They correctly applied the provisions and principles of the Children, Young Persons and their Families Act and made a risk assessment in respect of the safety of the children.”

Mr Horne said the officers also got advice from their supervisor before leaving the house.

“Although the supervisor was satisfied that the situation had been made safe, the overall circumstances of the case prompted him to immediately advise Child Youth and Family of what had occurred.”

Mr Horne said this type of incident was happening all across the country and was not unique to Rotorua.

“Unfortunately police throughout New Zealand are dealing with situations involving serious parental neglect on a daily basis.

“These cases usually involve the same families, where the consumption of alcohol is prioritised over the safety and wellbeing of the family, in particular the children,” he said.

“The children in these families are often left to fend for themselves and often engage in criminal activities from a young age.”

Mr Horne said Rotorua police worked with several different agencies and community groups in an effort to manage such situations.

“Reducing alcohol-related harm is a priority for police and a number of stakeholders who work with police, including other Government agencies, health organisations and the Rotorua District Council, which is the regulatory authority in relation to the sale and purchase of alcohol,” he said.

“At some point, up to 70 per cent of calls for police are the result of alcohol-related incidents.”

Mr Horne said the most commonly encountered and significant alcohol related-incidents for Rotorua police included family violence and child abuse in the home, disorderly, offensive and violent behaviour in public places and alcohol-impaired drivers on the roads.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Dad AARON THOMPSON has been sentenced fo 106 years in the disappearance and presumed murder of his daughter back in 2005. The mother lost all contact with the girl when Dad abducted the girl from her in Michigan. Note that this guy doesn’t even have the decency to tell this grieving mom where the body is. Reminds me of dad DANIEL PORTER, who didn’t want to tell where he left the bodies of his murdered children either: http://www.samandlindseyporter.org/. The bodies weren’t found till years later.

Dad JOHN ECKARD viciously gunned down and murdered his wife and 9-year-old before taking himself out. And yet this article does nothing but praise this guy and make excuses for his actions. This is all too typical of these articles, and it’s getting very old fast.All the stock journalistic devices are here. As if on clue, we quote the idiotic “acquaintance” claiming the murderer was a “loving husband and father.” Why this delusional defense of a cold-blooded killer? Would the “acquaintance” still think Dad was very “loving” if he had a pointed a shotgun at HIS head? Or if the “acquaintance” was forced into begging for HIS life? I’m sorry–this is just crap.Then there are the ignorant neighbors who claim the couple “appeared to be happy.” How the hell would they know one way or another? Because they saw him mowing the grass or something? These people’s impressions are obviously incomplete, off-base, and wrong. Why is the reader’s time wasted in quoting them? All of this gives a false impression: that these crimes come “out of the blue.” They don’t. In fact, if you read this article carefully, you’ll see that Daddy Dearest had been planning this affair “for at least a month.” So this was no “snapping,” no sudden emotional outburst from an otherwise “nice guy.” This guy CALCULATED and PLANNED to murder his innocent wife and child. Maybe we need to deal with that, instead of a fantasy build-up of what he was “really” like.All kinds of stuff is said here to humanize and excuse the killer–we hear about his financial troubles, his Parkinson’s disease. We hear an indirect slam at his wife: “people need to pay attention to the mental health of their loved ones and seek help when they are in trouble.” As if to say that it’s HER fault that all this happened. Meanwhile, note that nothing is said here to “humanize” the victims. There’s nary a word about what they were doing at school or work, what their hopes or dreams were. What they were like as people. It’s like they’re just the collateral damage in Daddy’s Big Show of Personal Pain, which is the sole focus of attention here. Disgusting. http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/11/06/patmurder.ART_ART_11-06-09_B1_0CFJD3B.html?sid=101Man kills wife, son, himself, police say
Father reportedly beset by medical, financial problems
Friday, November 6, 2009 3:21 AM
By Josh Jarman

PATASKALA, Ohio — Police said a man killed his wife and 9-year-old son before taking his own life yesterday morning. He was a loving husband and father who had medical and financial troubles, an acquaintance said.

Pataskala police found the bodies of John Eckard II, 46, his wife and son dead in their home at 13160 Havens Corners Rd. at about 8:30 a.m. yesterday. They were called there by William D. Beer, who bought Mr. Eckard’s land-surveying company about a year and a half ago.

Beer said he found four letters in his office yesterday morning, one addressed to him and the other’s addressed to Eckard’s ex-wife and two daughters from his previous marriage.

The letter thanked him for taking over the business. At the bottom it included the line, “by the time you read this, Robin, I and Nick will no longer be in this world.”

Beer said he dropped the letter and called police immediately before rushing to the couple’s home where police made their grisly discovery only minutes later.

Chief Chris Forshey said police broke in after they couldn’t get anyone to come to the door.

Forshey said the bodies of Robin Eckard, 45, and the couple’s son, Nicholas, were in their bedrooms. Each appeared to have been shot once in the head with a shotgun, he said. John Eckard’s body was in the living room in the same condition.

Forshey said police found a fifth letter, which was addressed to “everyone,” at the house. Eckard also sent text messages about 3:15 a.m. yesterday to relatives and friends hinting that there was going to be violence at his home. But no one apparently saw them until it was too late.

Investigating multiple deaths is always difficult, but even more so when a child is among those killed, Forshey said. “It’s tragic for the family members. Our thoughts go out to them right now.”
Neighbors said the couple, who bought the house in 2007, appeared to be happy. Forshey said police had never been called to the home because of any domestic trouble. The bodies were taken to the Licking County coroner’s office for autopsy.

According to state records, the Eckards owned a used-car dealership in nearby Etna Township that they bought in August 2008.

Their two-story, four-bedroom house on 5 acres is on a private lane off Havens Corners. A number of families there own horses, including the Eckards, who had two. Neighbors described the lane as a close-knit community and said Nicholas often had friends over to play.

Beer said Mr. Eckard suffered from Parkinson’s disease, and although his used-car business appeared to be doing well, the family was living beyond its means. He said the Eckards were a very close couple, who always expressed their love for one another.

He said he could not fathom why Mr. Eckard, whom he called one of the hardest-working men he had ever known, would hurt his family or himself. In retrospect, Beer said he thinks Mr. Eckard had been planning the crime for at least a month.

He said people need to pay attention to the mental health of their loved ones and seek help when they are in trouble.

“People need to know that a solution like that is a very empty solution,” Beer said. “It leaves nothing but a tragedy.”